To See Her Smile
by Black Silken Rose
Summary: Hiei's involvement in his sister's life is sparce, and as the fox grows closer to her he finds himself faltering on the precipice of involvement, paralyzed for fear of breaking their laughter. A story of finding one's self in the way of the happiness of others, and decisions made in silence. HieiXKurama


Hello All! Here's another oneshot of my OTP, Hiei and Kurama! Trying to give you guys less angst, but who would I be if there wasn't a little bit of a struggle right?

**Let's bring the YYH fandom back to life!** Another installation in my revival series of YYH fanfics, but I can't bring a fandom back without fans! So **pm me** with requests if you have them! I love working on story ideas or ships from reviewers. Oh yeah, **feed me reviews**. If you like it, let me know!

Disclaimer: YYH is not mine, if it was then the yaoi would be plentiful (not that we don't love Itsuki and Sensui am I right?)

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Part of him loved that they were becoming so close. It was his instinct that screamed otherwise.

They were frolicking. Try as he may, no better word passed through his brain. It was enough to make anyone sick let alone the surly fire demon, but still he stood by, perched on one of the lower branches of his tree, watching. Had it been anyone else he would have found himself truly disgusted by the scene, but he supposed love had softened him to this moment of candid playfulness. And so they frolicked, running through the high grass, chasing each other without really caring who was the pursuer and who was the pursued, laughing and grasping for each other and simply being happy. He let them go uninterrupted, trying to appreciate the scene, but feeling it grow stale far too soon.

Of course, the redhead knew that they were being watched. It was a rare moment when their interactions _weren't_ spied upon, but he could understand how protective his friend had become after the incident with the greedy human. Part of him wished that he would jump from his roost and join them in the merriment. It was his rationale that would have worried if he did.

He and the ice maiden were currently engaged in a rather roundabout game of tag. He, like the gentleman he was, had graciously given way to clumsiness and let her catch him one time or another, but she seemed to be picking up on his scheme faster than he had hoped. Claiming defeat, he pulled her gently toward the ground with him, careful to cushion her fall so that she were almost placed daintily upon the grass by divine hands, letting himself crumple down to her side. They laughed once more as they spread their limbs lazily in the wind blown blades, staring up at the sky and sneaking giddy glances at each other in between each sun blocking cloud. Most of the near gone summer days had passed similarly, the beauty of the outdoors around Genkai's temple too good to pass up. He had spent more than his fair share of time out there, and the ice apparition was more than happy to have him. She couldn't help but smile as she looked up toward the sky, wishing the summer days would never end. Her people were so unused to such warmth.

"I am truly thankful to have a friend like you, Kurama."

Feeling very much the same, the fox slipped his fingers between hers. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she looked over, finding a smile that matched her own on his face.

Not able to take much more, the fiery onlooker vanished, if only for the time being.

The fox felt the change in energy clearly, his smile falling a bit. He sat up, surveying the area as if he expected to find what was not there. His aqua-haired companion followed in suit, confusion clear in her dark eyes. Wistfully, he sighed, giving her one of his charmingly reassuring smiles. Gently, he guided her inside, knowing that his presence was overstayed from his friend's point of view.

It was late evening before Hiei showed his face around the compound, strategically showing up just after dinner had been eaten to avoid any awkward social interactions. The old woman had no more than rolled her eyes at him, having known how long he had wasted time around her property before showing up, and then left. He took this as permission to wander through the halls, coming across Yukina as she stepped out to retrieve something. She had been so giddy to see him that she stopped mid-sentence to stampede him, though he was thankful she had forgone the dreaded hug in favor of taking his hands in hers. He couldn't help but be astounded at her excitement- he had shown up around the temple more times over the past few months than ever before. Her constant enthusiasm to see him never failed to activate his guilt complex, and he was more than relieved when she ran off to make tea, Koenma forbid she had nothing to serve to her esteemed guest. He took a moment to compose himself, just enough for a breath, but he should have known that it would not be private. At some point the fox had snuck out from the room, his casual stance at odds with the small, but noticeably sly smile that graced his lips. Hiei glared at him, but it was more out of habit than anything. Animosity was rare between them, and could be sensed for miles away. The plant wielder raised an eyebrow in a mockingly quizzical arc.

"Thinking of running already?" The fire demon stepped forward, trying to ignore the overt smirk.

"No. Not yet, at least." He pushed past his friend with forced uncaring, but it only made the offending expression grow.

"She's happy you're here, you know." He looked like there was something else on the tip of his tongue, but nothing followed. Hiei shot him another cursory glare.

"I don't need you to tell me that." _It's you she's been so happy to see_, he thought with a bitterness that he didn't intend. It was a good thing that Kurama was here, he reminded himself. His interest in Yukina kept her busy, and more importantly it kept her from being alone. He stalked into the room, hesitating on the threshold for a nearly unnoticeable moment before meeting his sister's eyes. They glowed with such innocent joy that he actually did consider running for a moment. It was almost entirely out of spite of the fox that he chose instead to seek out teacups- that and the damned redhead had become quite comfortable leaning against the doorframe, barring all means of escape outside of the high windows.

As usual, Yukina showed an inhuman amount of genuine interest in his affairs in Makai, forcing more words out of him than he thought possible. He had a brief reprieve when Kurama slid into the conversation that Yukina had begun tending a small garden, and she sputtered with a light blush that it had been Genkai's idea. The kitsune didn't even bother suppressing a smile at Hiei's clear discomfort when she insisted that his stories were much more interesting, pushing him for conversation. Though it was only a few hours, the half koorime felt exhausted by the time Yukina decided to retire, Kurama kindly offering to take care of the small dishes that they had put to use. Hiei assumed that this was his way of giving them time in private, something that would no doubt be used for the customary teasings. The fire demon had even offered to walk his sister back to her room, just to make Kurama wait, but she had politely declined, insisting that she could make it by herself. The door shut all too soon, and the longtime partners found themselves once more alone.

Kurama didn't push right away, just tended to the teacups with the quiet sound of water running in the background. Hiei slumped back down into his chair, letting his head droop against the back, the tension he had while sitting seeming to seep slowly from his shoulders. He exhaled heavily, unsure why he had been so much more anxious throughout the ordeal than usual. The fox watched from the corner of his eye, placing the opalescent cups face down on a drying cloth and moving on to the kettle.

"What's been on your mind, Hiei? You're not usually so…" he struggled for an appropriate negative with a hint of a smile. "inimical." At this Hiei looked up, his face clearly tired.

"You find me what?" Kurama shrugged.

"You _do_ understand the implications of the word, if not the word itself. You're stalling." The fire demon only huffed, pulling his feet up from the ground and crossing them under him. He looked away, sulking for no obvious reason.

"If I knew the answer I wouldn't be." The kitsune looked as if he were about to contest that point, but decided to let it go, instead placing the tea set in its cupboard with quiet that only a master thief could achieve. It was Hiei's turn to watch without looking, finding himself less at ease in the other's presence than he would usually be. It was strange, Kurama was usually his sanctuary. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

The fox finished drying his hands on the small cloth, his face showing no signs of being affected by Hiei's mood. He sat down next to him, taking the chair that Yukina had previously occupied.

"Just checking in. Summer affords me such luxury, to be where I wish when I wish it. Sometimes I train with Yusuke, others I come up here, feed the plants," he said this with a soft twinkle in his eye, "make sure Genkai's affairs are in order, watch Yukina. But you already know this, so what's the point in asking?" His voice was sweet with false innocence, his favorite teasing tone, but the inquiry had been real. Hiei cursed himself internally for not masking his energy during his frequent visits, knowing that the fox could sense him without needing to see him. He frowned back at the beautiful face in front of him. The window was looking like a better option with every second. It had been too long since he had simply been alone.

"It seems neither of us can answer each other's questions, then," he snapped, an edge to his voice. The tone was different than usual, his frustration real rather than an effort to save face. Kurama stared for a moment, taken aback. He was not the only one.

"I don't understand what you mean then. Do you think I have motives to visit the people I care about?" Green eyes echoed confusion at his insinuation, sending a pang through the fire demon. The enmity rose to his throat like bile, unstoppable despite his own wishes. He bit back words from unformed thoughts, knowing that he was acting out like a child.

"I don't know. I'm tired, Kurama. Just tired." He stood, making his way to the door but stopping before leaving, looking for words of apology but only frustrating himself. "Forget it. She's more important, anyway." And with that he made his exit, not waiting for the invitation back home that the fox was ready to give.

Off to a good start, Hiei ran off his frustration, going slower than he would have if he'd had a destination in mind, but still fast enough to be avoided by human eyes. It was too soon for introspection, though he had an idea where his mind would take him if he did take to examining his actions from the evening. Damn that fox, his forced emotional analytics being one of the traits Hiei had taken away from their years of friendship. If the fighter knew anything, though, timing was everything and this was not that time. So he ran, fighting imagined enemies in the wild flora as he went, his focus on instinct alone.

His feet took him to familiar ground without consulting with his brain: the park where he and the detective had first met. He stopped, only for a moment, in the clearing where the fox had turned his back on him, then flitted off once more, the image an unpleasant reminder of a loss he no longer had to mourn. It wasn't far from the school that the kitsune attended, which meant that it was near his home. Not knowing what prompted him to, the hi youkai followed the dimly lit streetlamps to his neighborhood, then his block, then just outside his home. The lights were out, it was late after all, but he could sense the other's energy lingering, most probably in sleep by now. So as not to wake him, Hiei dampened his own, stalking quietly into the backyard and up the tree outside his friend's window.

He watched him sleep for a moment, suddenly aware of the calm he had achieved in his impromptu journey. Something pushed him not to tap on the window, to deny himself entry into the room that had become like his own over the years. It was almost enough to unnerve him, the sudden discomfort he had in reaching out to him. The change, he knew with begrudging distaste, had not been sudden.

It had begun with the change in season, with the onslaught of warm air and spring showers, flowers and sundresses. It wasn't as if he saw more of the fox, his check ins on Yukina usually preceded his visits to the kitsune, but the nature of their meetings had changed. It had been weeks since he had been let into the room before him, of his own volition mostly, but the reasoning was sound. Besides a run in at the park, they had only seen each other within the confines of Genkai's property. By this, Hiei found himself disturbed.

Nowadays, if Hiei sought his company he found himself one among three. More often, as she came first on his list, if Hiei looked for Yukina he found her with him. He had initially seen it as productive, getting to see his two most important people without having to leave one in favor of the other, but something was beginning to seem out of place. The more time went on, the more he found himself lingering on the precipice of interacting, watching from the treeline as the two enjoyed each other's presence, unsure. It was a few weeks before he realized the out of place thing was him.

It shouldn't have bothered him as much as it did- he _was_ a solitary creature by nature. Most of his life had been spent alone, or at least felt that way. Being sidelined was something that should have come naturally to him. After all, it was for the sake of Yukina's happiness. That of all things should have been easy.

It wasn't as if she were being taken away by the fool, though he'd never admit how much he respected him. This was Kurama. If there was anyone he could trust with his beloved sister, it was the fox. The thought pained him and he looked away from the sleeping redhead, taking to examining the surrounding neighborhood instead. He had seen so much in the time that he had waited, just before jumping in and stealing the spotlight, so much laughing, hands held, eyes sparkling. He couldn't recall a time that he had ever seen either of them so jubilant outside of the past few weeks with each other. With that thought came a tightness in his chest, but he ignored it, pulling himself up into the higher branches of the tree, out of sight. They were less accommodating and for the first time he stopped and wondered if his favorite branch, the one just outside the window, had been shaped just to his liking. It didn't help his mood. With a single glance back to the window below, he closed his eyes in resignation.

They were happy. He just had to come around and be happy for them.

Kurama was less than ecstatic to find upon his waking the residual signs of a fire demon having slept in his tree. It had been months since the little youkai had visited and _not_ invited himself into the fox's room as if he owned it, not counting his temporary exile after ruining the carpet with bloodstained boots. The place that the energy radiated from was wrong too, much too high up the tree, as if he were avoiding being noticed. It only managed to infuriate the fox, who at this point had had enough of his a sigh, he readied himself for his day, letting his frustration show in his primping, afraid of his worry getting the best of him.

It was obvious that something was wrong with his friend; Hiei didn't often act out in such a way unless he was bottling something up, which Kurama didn't doubt. The timing of his mood was what really struck him; there hadn't been a fight or a mission in weeks and even his duties in Makai were relatively peaceful from what he had shared about his new position, though it hadn't been much. The smaller demon even seemed content with Mukuro, which should have meant a happy Hiei by all accounts. Whatever was bothering him seemed to have come in the midst of their collective peacefulness, and the result was impacting his happiness.

The kitsune had tried to stave off whatever it could have been, but to no avail. Each time he saw the fire demon, the look in his eyes that spoke of discomfort and even a bit of pain grew. Their last little verbal spar had been a long time coming. It was all the more reason that Kurama was surprised to find out that he had been there the night before, and all the more disappointed that he had not come in.

It played out in his head just as it had in the other's as he watched the fox sleep: Hiei would knock lightly at the window, quietly enough not to wake a human, but noticeably to the fox. The redhead would let him in, groggy but happy he had come home. The moment would pass in silence as Kurama slipped back in bed and Hiei out of his clothes, joining him shortly thereafter. Then, one of them would speak, words not really mattering, just a sign that it was alright.

No sign had come, though. Hiei's decision, though seemingly small, had meant something greater to the fox. With a heavy sigh, he collected his things, deciding on another trip up to the temple. He didn't expect to find the other upon his arrival, but still somehow managed to disappoint himself. Knowing that there was nothing he could do until the other decided he wanted to talk, the fox wandered through the extensive property, wondering if Yukina was in the garden.

Why he had remained in the human world was yet another one of the mysteries from the past few days that happened to be plaguing the stoic fire demon, along with why he had decided to visit the old hag's compound for two days in a row. It was horribly uncharacteristic of him, not to mention that he had spend the whole day avoiding anywhere around the human city that he thought he might run into a certain fox. But there he was, in yet another tree in the property's vast forest, looking out at the top of the holding with unprecedented restlessness. He flitted, jumping from branch to branch, before taking to continuing on foot. Rather than risk being scolded by the old woman, he avoided the main house, wandering the footpaths almost aimlessly until he found one that led to the back of the compound. The sun revealed itself in all of its bright orange splendor as he stepped out of the cover of the trees, letting his hand drift over the wooden railing on the side of the building. He had seen them from afar as soon as he had cleared the forest, but it was with hitched breath that he realized what the pair were doing. He stopped dead in his tracks, hand falling to his side as he watched, his presence momentarily a secret.

They were dancing. One of the redhead's hands rested on her waist, the other clasped in her own. She was incredibly light on her feet, even with a partner as tall as Kurama, letting herself be turned and led without missing a beat in the imaginary song that they followed. It was a simple waltz, something no doubt archaic and only done by stuffy professionals, but the kitsune managed to make it look effortless, gliding along the grassy field as if it were second nature to him. For a moment, it reminded Hiei of his fighting, fluid and elegant, not so dissimilar to a waltz. Except that on the battlefield it was Hiei that shared in the dance.

It was not until he was noticed that Hiei began to breathe again, not having realized that his breath was held. The kitsune must have seen his silhouette, the sun being behind him. He broke the intricate pattern he led to twirl Yukina on the spot, laughter ringing from the both of them as she stuck the landing somewhat clumsily, her partner ready and waiting to steady her in strong arms. They exchanged words like that for a moment before the redhead broke away, turning from her to jog up the hill toward the fire demon, growing larger in his field of view as he came closer. Hiei held fast, staying tensely still as his friend came up to his side, a surprised smile in place. He didn't look at him, just watched as Yukina danced in place, an imaginary partner leading her in small circles.

"I didn't think you'd be back," the fox said, his words laced with meaning. Despite his partner's aloofness the smile persisted, earning him the smallest of sideways glances. "Why didn't you come in last night?"

"I needed time to think on my own." Of course he had been noticed. He always was. The fox raised an eyebrow, stepping back a bit and more directly in his view.

"And did you find whatever answers you were looking for?" The kitsune was downright chipper, as if he knew something the other didn't. Somehow, Hiei didn't find himself bothered by this. He nodded in response.

"I've made my decisions." The inquisition that was to follow was cut short as a sweet voice echoed over the air, calling for the fox. He turned, his hair suddenly bathed in sunlight, shadow falling down the hill shakily as the grass trembled in the wind. His vision captured the fire demon, who looked at him while he looked at the ice maiden. Time stood still for that moment, then the kitsune turned back to him, words almost formed but silenced with a shake of his companion's head.

"Go. She's more important."

The redhead looked at him, eyes squinted against the battering sun, before slowly turning away. Deciding it was not worth watching as he descended the hill, decision made, the fire demon turned to retrace his footsteps back through the forest.

It was mere seconds later when he found himself stopped, a firm but gentle hand closed around his arm, turning him back. He shot green eyes a sharp look, but it softened with the seriousness in the other's. Seeing that Yukina was still standing at the bottom of the hill, the hi youkai tried to pull back, but the hand held him in place, his thoughts cut short with the tone he received.

"I misunderstood you, before. For that, I'm truly sorry," The fox stepped forward, ignoring the trepidant and somewhat confused look the other was giving him. This time, the smaller demon didn't try to step back, stuck in place by the voice that belonged to the one keeping him still. "I thought you had meant 'she's more important to me.' It hadn't even occurred to me that what you were really saying, 'she's more important _than_ me." And that's not true Hiei."

Without warning, the distance between them was no more, arms circling the fire demon in an unfamiliar gesture that sent a flood of emotions through him all at once.

"No one is more important in my eyes than you."

Before he could protest, or fight, or escape, lips as soft as rose petals touched his, and for the moment at least, wariness was forgotten.

Amply distracted, neither of them noticed the small, aqua haired girl in the distance, jumping for joy.

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